This invention is related generally to the field of cutting of graphics areas or the like from sheets for various purposes, and other narrow-path-processing about graphics areas on sheets.
The technical field involving the cutting of graphic areas from sheets, or otherwise doing narrow-path-processing about graphics images on sheets, includes, for example, the face-cutting of laminate sheets to form decals. More specifically, a graphic-image area on the face layer of a laminate needs to be cut away from the remainder of the face layer so that the graphic area (decal) can subsequently be pulled away from the backing layer of the laminate and be applied elsewhere as intended. Highly accurate face-layer cutting about the graphics is obviously highly desirable.
This is but one example in which highly accurate sheet cutting is desirable. In many other situations, highly accurate sheet cutting which is desired may not involve face-cutting, but through-cutting, in which the full thickness of the sheet is cut about a graphics area on the sheet. And in many situations, rather than highly accurate cutting, highly accurate scoring, creasing, line embossing or the like, in each case, of course, along a line the varying direction of which is determined by the shape of the graphics area. Together these types of operations on sheets with respect to graphics areas thereon are referred to herein for convenience as xe2x80x9cnarrow-path-processing.xe2x80x9d For convenience, the prior art problems and the invention herein which solves such problems will be discussed primarily with reference to sheet-cutting apparatus.
A method and associated apparatus which addresses many of the problems encountered in such processing of sheet material is the i-cut(trademark) vision cutting system from Mikkelsen Graphic Engineering of Lake Geneva, Wis., and is the subject of a U.S. patent application (Ser. No. 09/678,594xe2x80x94now U.S. Pat. No. ______) filed on Oct. 4, 2000. The invention described in such document is a method and apparatus for achieving highly improved accuracy in cutting around graphics areas in order to fully adjust for two-dimensional distortion in the sheets from which the graphics areas will be cut, including distortion of differing degrees in one dimension or along one direction on the sheet of material. The distortion may be from the printing process or from some other post-printing process such as material handling or during the cutting process itself. This invention also provides improved speed and accuracy in narrow-path-processing and greater efficiency of material usage.
In some cases, such as in the i-cut(trademark) system from Mikkelsen Graphic Engineering, a flatbed plotter is used. These are devices having a positionally-controlled cutting implement above a flat work surface on which the sheet to be cut rests. The cutting implements are controlled based on controller-supplied instructions based on the X-Y coordinates necessary to achieve cutting along the intended path, such as about the graphics area.
Achieving greater speed and overall efficiencies in narrow-path-processing is a continuing challenge encountered with such systems. One source of inefficiency is the manual intervention often required to adjust the initial position and alignment of the sheet on the work surface of the cutting apparatus. Sheets of material on which graphics areas have been previously printed are placed on the work surface of the cutting apparatus, either manually or by automatic sheet-feeding equipment. In either of these set-up situations, the cutting apparatus must determine the position and orientation of the sheet on the work surface in order to proceed accurately with the cutting process. If the operator or automatic sheet-feeder places the sheet of material on the work surface such that it is outside of the area or region of alignment on the work surface which the cutting system expects to find the sheet, manual intervention may be necessary to adjust the placement of the sheet to within the required initial region in order for the process to continue beyond this initial set-up step. Another source of inefficiency is the time-consuming step which may be required to allow the system to determine the initial position and orientation of the sheet on the work surface.
Despite the significant advances represented by the i-cut(trademark) system, these advances have not yet achieved the highest levels of efficiency which potentially can be reached by automated cutting systems.
It is an object of this invention to provide an improved method and apparatus for precision cutting of graphics areas from sheets, thereby overcoming some of the problems and shortcomings of the prior art.
Another object of this invention is to provide a method and apparatus for reducing the time to determine sheet position and orientation in apparatus for cutting around graphics areas in order to fully adjust for two-dimensional distortion in the sheets from which the graphics areas will be cut.
Another object of this invention is to allow for rapid cutting of graphics areas from the sheet material.
Another object of the invention is to minimize or completely eliminate the need for manual intervention by an operator in the placement of sheets of material on apparatus for cutting about graphics areas which automatically adjust for a wide variety of sheet distortion.
Still another object of this invention is to provide an improved method and apparatus for narrow-path-processing about graphics on sheet materials of various kinds.
These and other objects of the invention will be apparent from the following descriptions and from the drawings.
The instant invention overcomes the above-noted problems and satisfies the objects of the invention. The invention is an improved method and apparatus for cutting graphics areas from sheets. Stated more broadly, the invention is an improved method and apparatus for narrow-path-processing about graphics images on sheets, including by cutting, creasing, scoring or the like. Of particular note is that the instant invention combines high speed and efficiency (less manual intervention) and high-precision accuracy in the cutting of graphics images from sheets bearing such images which overcomes a wide variety of variable distortion in the sheets, including two-dimensional distortion.
The method of this invention, stated with respect to cutting graphics areas from sheets including such graphics areas, includes as a first step applying a plurality of registration marks on the sheet at and about the graphics area in predetermined positions with respect to the graphics area, or more particularly, with respect to the perimeter thereof which will be cut, the plurality of registration marks including an initial-position/orientation-determining subset located on no more than one side of the graphics area. This is done at the time the graphics which define such graphics area (or graphics areas) are applied. The method involves: placing the graphics sheet with the initial-position/orientation-determining subset adjacent to a registration mark sensor; sensing the subset to determine the position and orientation of the sheet of material and the approximate positions of the plurality of registration marks thereon; sensing the precise positions of the registration marks on the sheet of material; and cutting the graphics area from the ready-to-cut sheet in response to the precise positions of the registration marks with respect to the graphics area at that time. This method allows the sensing of the registration marks to occur rapidly with a minimum of manual intervention and cutting to occur precisely despite two-dimensional distortion of the sheet prior to cutting.
In highly preferred embodiments of the invention, the initial-position/orientation-determining subset is a pair of registration marks in tandem relationship to each other. The term xe2x80x9ctandem relationshipxe2x80x9d as used herein means spaced closer to one another than the average spacing between other registration marks applied on the sheet of material. For example, on a sheet of material one meter by one meter in size with graphics areas applied including registration marks around the perimeters of the graphics areas, two registration marks applied near one corner of the sheet with a 25 mm space between the centers of the two marks are said to be in tandem relationship with each other.
In certain preferred embodiments, each of the registration marks of the pair is a round area, and the sensing step includes processing sensed data to determine the mathematical centers thereof Further, in highly preferred embodiments, all of the registration marks are round areas, and the sensing step includes processing sensed data to determine the mathematical centers thereof.
It is highly preferred that the method of this invention include providing a controller to furnish instructions for the sensing and cutting operations so that the determinations involving sensing and cutting are carried out swiftly and on a continuing basis as one or more graphics areas are cut from a sheet and as additional sheets are processed. The controller further facilitates the efficiency improvements of this invention.
In highly preferred embodiments, the method includes the additional step of placing the ready-to-cut sheet on a flatbed plotter having an X and Y coordinate grid and retaining the sheet on the flatbed plotter at a user-selected location thereon such that the sheet of material overlaps the X and Y coordinate grid. In such preferred embodiments, the sensing of the precise positions of the registration marks on the ready-to-cut sheet includes the step of determining the X and Y coordinates which are overlapped by the registration marks. Further, preferred embodiments of the invention include in the cutting process the step of comparing the X and Y coordinates which are overlapped by the registration marks with a reference set of X and Y coordinates. In highly preferred embodiments, the comparing step is carried out by the controller.
In certain preferred embodiments, the controller has a programmed set of predetermined cutting instructions which includes reference X and Y coordinates for the registration marks and the predetermined positions thereof with respect to the perimeter of the graphics area when the graphics area and registration marks are first applied to the sheet. In such embodiments, the cutting step includes setting an optimized cutting path based on the comparing step, such optimized cutting path corresponding to the perimeter of the graphics area of the ready-to-cut sheet even though such perimeter is distorted during the uncut life of the sheet.
In certain preferred embodiments, the sheet is a laminate having (a) a face layer which bears one or more graphics areas and registration marks corresponding to each, and (b) a backing layer, and the cutting is face cutting only. This allows preparation of highly accurate decals, which can later be removed from the backing layer.
In many cases, depending on the size of the sheet, it is preferred that there be a plurality of graphics areas on each sheet and a corresponding plurality of sets of the registration marks at or about each graphics area.
The apparatus of this invention is a device for cutting a graphics area at the perimeter thereof from a ready-to-cut sheet of material, the sheet having a plurality of registration marks at and about the graphics area, the plurality of registration marks including an initial-position/orientation-determining subset located on no more than one side of the graphics area. The registration marks are simply added during the printing of the graphics area.
The inventive apparatus includes: (1) a flatbed plotter having an upper surface for receiving the ready-to-cut sheet thereon; (2) a sensor, preferably a CCD area image sensor, operatively connected to the flatbed plotter for moving along the upper surface thereof, the sensor sensing the locations of the registration marks; (3) a cutter operatively connected to the sensor and movable about the upper surface of the flatbed plotter, the cutter cutting the graphics area from the ready-to-cut sheet in response to the locations of the registration marks sensed by the sensor; and (4) a controller operatively connecting the cutter to the sensor to control movement of the cutter along the upper surface of the flatbed plotter, the controller including a set of initialization instructions corresponding to (a) predetermined approximate positions of the initial-position/orientation-determining subset on the sheet and (b) the relative positions of the remaining registration marks thereon with respect to the position of the subset. The invention, as already indicated, allows the sensing of the registration marks to occur rapidly with a minimum of manual intervention and cutting to occur precisely despite two-dimensional distortion of the sheet prior to cutting.
In preferred embodiments, the initialization instructions of the controller also include instructions for determining the precise position and orientation of the subset, whereby the approximate positions of the remaining registration marks are determined to facilitate determination of the precise positions of the remaining registration marks.
Further, the controller includes a set of predetermined cutting instructions therein corresponding to the perimeter of the graphics area and the predetermined position thereof with respect to predetermined positions of the registration marks when the graphics area and registration marks are first applied to the sheet, the controller moving the cutter along the upper surface of the flatbed plotter in response to a comparison of (a) the locations of the registration marks sensed by the sensor on the ready-to-cut sheet with (b) the set of predetermined cutting instructions.